Voyage of the Setting Dawn
by Umbra the Hedgehog
Summary: A quirky princess. A beleaguered guard. A stolen pirate ship. Sure, it's not the obvious combination for an adventure, but by Chaos, they'll make it work.


Hello, everyone! This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing in! Okay, so we've been having a bit of a dry spell again. Life's been kinda busy, and as far as our joint RWBY project is concerned, it's still in progress; it's just taken some time for us to all get together and start scripting what comes next. In the meantime, there's an idea that I've had for over a year by now, and I figured it'd make for a nice update while all of that gets sorted out. Alrighty then, let's do this!

Description: A quirky princess. A beleaguered guard. A stolen pirate ship. Sure, it's not the obvious combination for an adventure, but by Chaos, they'll make it work.

**NOTE:**

-I do not own any of the characters featured in this chapter.

* * *

_**Voyage of the Setting Dawn**_

Spagonia.

Anyone who has been to this place can tell you the same thing: it is a large cultural city and the art capital of the planet, located on the same land mass as the city of Apotos. There's plenty of great sights to take in, and the locals all seem to be nice and very friendly. All in all, a great place to live, or even just to visit on a vacation or something.

"By Chaos… how did things turn out like this?"

You couldn't prove it by Echo the Dolphin, though.

Just on her own, an aquatic mobian like her would be a standout in a city like this, but just to add to that, her demeanor was also contrasting with that of most everyone else. She was looking around frantically and asking everyone questions, almost like a mother who lost her child…

…which wasn't too far off the mark, actually.

* * *

_Earlier that day…_

Lieutenant Echo's life had been much more intense than she had planned for the past couple days.

In all honesty, she was looking forward to a straightforward rescue mission. Sure, she'd be the first to tell you that life as a member of the Meropis City Guard is already fraught with danger, especially for a high-ranking member like herself, but much to her own surprise, not even that had prepared her for being shanghaied into a bodyguard job, a backstab by her allies, overly sugary gruel, a cell in a pirate ship, the possibility of death, and a charge who seemed gleefully unaware of the gravity of all these things, all of which came and went in rapid succession… and not necessarily in that exact order, either.

"Safe travels!" And speaking of her new charge, she was happily bidding the rest of her rescuers farewell.

Princess Undina. The daughter of King Puff and Queen Angelica, rulers of the underwater city of Meropis. Having once aspired to be the priestess of the Eusebes Shrine, only to move on to other things when her friend Coral the Betta was chosen for the position over her, she had elected to study at Spagonia, a city from the surface world, over staying home, much to her parents' chagrin. All well and good, up until the point where she decided to leave Spagonia out of boredom in order to see the world, which is how she was kidnapped by pirates…

…only for her to join their crew willingly, and _then_ turn around and reveal that it was just a ruse to keep them so busy with treasure hunts that they wouldn't think about hurting others. She also made herself look like enough of a fool that they had no reason to suspect any foul play until she could be rescued… and then took the ship away from them when they least expected it and claimed it as her own in order to continue with her travels.

For someone with as sheltered an upbringing as any princess would have, Echo was surprised to find that Undina was very clever and quick on her feet, or at least much more than she had given her credit for.

"Well, that was fun."

She still wasn't sure about the girl's tastes, though.

"I… don't know if I would describe it like that, Princess."

Undina had herself a giggle. "Well, I know I would, but that's okay." She turned to look at Echo. "Alright, let's go sailing!"

The dolphin looked a little confused. "If you don't mind me saying this, shouldn't we think about it first?"

"How do you mean?"

Echo quietly cleared her throat. "Princess Undina, I understand that you want to see the world, but…" Then she rubbed one of her shoulders. "…do you have any money?"

"Hmm…" Undina thought about it for a bit before answering. "Now that you mention it… not really."

Echo put her hand back down. "How do you plan on financing your travels then?"

"Well… we _did_ take this ship away from a group of pirates." The princess suddenly grinned at her. "Maybe we could go and start pirating ourselves!"

This got Echo to do a double take. "Wh-What?!" She shook her head for a bit. "You can't be serious!"

"Aww, of course I'm not serious, Lieutenant. It was just a joke." Undina then giggled again. "It was funny, wasn't it?"

"Oh, um… yes." Echo forced out a laugh. "V-Very funny." She then breathed a sigh of relief.

As she did, she noticed that Undina seemed to be honestly contemplating the situation that she had gotten herself into, staring at the horizon with a more serious look on her face.

"You're right, though. It's a real problem. How are we going to pay for tune-ups, or keep the ship fueled? Wait, nevermind that; how are we going to _eat_?" The princess turned to look at Echo again. "I mean, sure, we have some porridge in the kitchen, but I think we could do much better than just maple sugar over and over and over and over again, don't you?"

The mere mention of the flavor made the lieutenant cringe. She hadn't eaten any of the food that she had been served during her time in the brig, but the smell was more than enough for her to know that she would regret it if she had.

"Maybe we could contact your parents. I haven't had a chance to report back to them yet." She quickly composed herself as she made a suggestion. "They might be willing to help once they know you're safe."

Undina's eyes widened at this, and Echo was surprised when the esca on her forehead also briefly lit up as they did.

"Ooh, I like that idea!" The princess then presented her guard with an umbrella, which she had been carrying with her all the way back to their first encounter on board the ship. "Can you hold this for me, please?"

Echo nodded. "Of course."

With both of her hands now available, Undina took out her phone, tapping the screen a few times while humming a little tune.

"Home-screen, con-tacts, Mom and Da-a-a-a-aaad~" And then she stared at her screen for a moment. "Hmm…"

Echo raised an eyebrow at this.

"I just realized I have no idea what I want to say." Undina turned to her companion again. "Hey, Lieutenant, I'd really like to hear your opinion. Should I be straightforward, or do you think being threatening will help?"

The dolphin blinked a couple times. "…Excuse me?"

"Well, I've never really written a ransom note before." Undina shrugged with an awkward grin, before quickly realizing something else. "Oh, and how much do you think I should ask for my safe return? Should I ask for it in Sand Dollars, or do I ask for the local currency?"

By the time she finished that thought, Echo's jaw had already dropped.

"What?! Princess, no!" In her panic, she nearly dropped the umbrella she was holding, although she scrambled just barely fast enough to catch it again. "That's a terrible idea! It'll only cause more trouble!"

She soon found herself at a loss for words, though, as the princess began to giggle once more.

"Calm down, Lieutenant. I was just playing around." Undina then approached her and gave her a friendly nudge. "Let's return to dry land and see if we can find something, alright? I promise I'll call them the second our course is set."

Echo let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding in. "…Of course. That's much more reasonable."

"Great! It's settled then." Undina put her phone away before gently taking back her umbrella. "First stop: Spagonia!"

As her charge giddily made her way to the inside of the ship, Echo let her head drop down with a disappointed groan.

_Why did it have to be Spagonia…?_

* * *

In hindsight, Echo realized, she should've expected this.

"Princess?" This didn't deter her, however, as she kept her search going. "Princess, where are you?"

She made her way out of a busy alleyway, passing by several shops and restaurants, and found herself at what seemed like yet another shop. Much to her disappointment, there was still no sign of Princess Undina.

Exhaustion finally began to get a hold of her, when suddenly, her attention was grabbed by something else.

"Is your name Echo?"

She turned to the source of the question, and she found that it came from the man running the shop. He was a slightly overweight gentleman with a big brown mustache, and he was wearing a white shirt with a yellow jacket, along with a nice-looking hat.

"Excuse me?" Echo quickly asked him.

He cleared his throat. "Sorry, I'm not trying to be rude. I was asked to look out for a dolphin lady wearing a uniform." Then he adjusted his hat. "Is that you, miss? Is your name Echo?"

"…Lieutenant Echo of the Meropis City Guard, yes." She was confused by this, but she decided to answer the man.

This got a smile from him.

"Pleased to meet you. My name is Josef." He raised his hat slightly before putting it down again. "I was told you might be looking for someone?"

She nodded. "Indeed. Could you help me, perhaps?"

"Of course!" Josef laughed for a bit. "Little Deena said you'd come by at some point."

Her eyes widened at that. "You know Princess Undina?"

"I sure do. She used to come here every other day when she was hungry. She'd always have an interesting story to tell." He laughed again. "That girl sure likes to eat chili dogs."

Echo raised her hand, hoping to get his attention. "Excuse me, but do you know where she went?"

"Oh, yes, definitely!" He nodded before pointing in a particular direction. "She asked me to tell you that she was heading for Spagonia University. If I know her, she's probably still there waiting for you."

At the mention of that name, Echo mentally slapped herself. Somehow, she felt like she should've thought of that right from the beginning instead of wandering aimlessly like a fool.

"I… see." In spite of this, she tried to stay professional in front of Josef, bowing her head down to him before speaking again. "Thank you very much, sir. I'll be on my way now."

He nodded. "My pleasure, and thanks a million for coming by, little lady." He waved at her as she walked away. "You be sure and come back!"

* * *

After some more walking, Echo finally found herself at Spagonia University. She still had clear memories of this place from her last visit… and they weren't exactly fun ones. During her search for information on Undina's whereabouts, she had a… _lengthy_ conversation with Professor Dillon Pickle, which wasn't really a situation she wanted to be in, and she was particularly disappointed to find out that public fountains _weren't_ as public as the name would indicate.

In spite of all this, she could not have been more relieved to have made her way to this place again, as she finally caught sight of the princess again, who looked just as carefree as she did when Echo and her companions had found her on board the Setting Dawn.

"Oh!" Undina saw her approaching, and she immediately responded with a wiggly wave. "Hello, Lieutenant!"

The moment she stopped, Echo immediately hunched over, panting and gasping for breath after her long search.

"Princess… I've been looking… all over for you." After a few moments, she finally composed herself. "Where have you been?"

Undina shrugged at this. "Right here. I haven't moved at all since I got here."

Neither one of them said anything as the dolphin kept on breathing heavily. Eventually, once she managed to straighten herself back up completely, she took notice of Undina's current position.

"…What are you doing?" Her voice was dripping with confusion.

The princess' reply came quickly. "Oh, you know… just enjoying the fountain."

Indeed, Echo saw that the girl was currently sitting at a spot where she could get a fairly scenic view of Spagonia University's famous eagle fountain. This in itself wasn't so strange, as it was a rather well-known part of it and she herself was familiar with it, and it made sense for an aquatic mobian like her, but what was odd to her was the fact that her charge was sitting in the exact opposite way most people would.

That is, she had her feet _inside_ the fountain rather than outside.

"You know, I can't remember the last time I got to just… sit back and take it in. It's a really neat landmark." Undina took a deep breath and sighed in contentment. "Plus, the water's nice."

Echo immediately frowned at this. "Well, I understand the feeling, Princess, but I don't think this is the right place." Then she crossed her arms. "They _say_ this is a public fountain, but you can't even swim in it!"

"Yeah, I know that. I wasn't really looking for a swim." The princess brought her hands up to her chest, never losing her carefree expression. "I'm not going to get these clothes wet. They are Honey the Cat originals, Lieutenant!"

Echo raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you afraid of being pelted with coins by the locals?"

In turn, Undina tilted her head at that.

"Pelted with coins?" And then, much like on the ship, her eyes widened and her esca lit up. "Wait… were you _actually_ swimming in here?"

Her companion let her arms drop back down to her sides. "Well, I…" Then she did her best to avert her gaze as her voice wavered. "Uhmm…"

"Oh, Lieutenant, fountains are not for swimming. They're just decorations." Undina replied very casually, like she didn't even notice her reaction. "People also like to drop coins inside them and make wishes sometimes, but that's another story."

This caught Echo's attention. "They do?"

"Yeah, take a look."

Undina pointed at the water, and when Echo took a closer look, she noticed that, indeed, there was quite a veritable collection of different coins at the bottom of the fountain.

…_How did I not notice this before? By Chaos, I was __**swimming**__ in here!_

"I can't even begin to imagine how much money is in here." The dolphin's thoughts were quickly interrupted by Undina's amused little giggle. "The locals really love this whole wish thing."

Echo turned to look at her, confused by her observation. "Is… this how you plan on earning money, Princess?"

"Huh?" Once again, it took a moment for the question to fully sink in with the princess. "Oh… oh! You mean— no, no, no, no-no-no, no, no, no! Pfft, that'd just be silly!"

Echo blinked a couple times, her charge's response having left her even more confused than before. She didn't even think that was possible after all she had been through, but once again, the princess of Meropis proved to be an expert at defying expectations.

"You… came here just to dip your feet in a fountain? Nothing else?"

Undina shook her head before raising one of her legs. "I came to _see_ the fountain. This here is just a neat bonus." She wiggled her leg for a bit as she said that, before lowering it again and looking at Echo. "Care to join me? You look like you could use some water too."

"What? But they said—"

"I don't think anyone will mind too much. We _are_ aquatic, you know." Undina offered Echo a seat, with a gentle smile on her face. "Besides, it's not like we're actually swimming in it, right?"

In turn, Echo just looked at her quizzically.

…_Is she serious?_

* * *

_Earlier that day…_

"Is the signal good down there? Am I coming in clear? Helloooooo?"

Just as promised, after the Setting Dawn had been set on a course to Spagonia, Undina made sure to take out her phone and make a video call. Not only so she and her parents could both see and hear each other again, but because she also wanted Echo to see that she was being honest.

"_Undina!_" Neither one of them was surprised by the ruling couple's ecstatic reaction.

The princess gave them a smile and a wiggly wave. "Hi, Mom and Dad!"

"_My darling princess!_" King Puff's face was practically glued to the screen as he jumped up to get a closer look at his daughter, which got a light chuckle and an eye roll from her.

Queen Angelica lightly shoved her husband out of the way so she could see as well. "_My baby girl… are you alright?_"

"Yep!" She nodded. "Super-duper! Never better! Best day ever!" Her esca flashed briefly as she finished that last sentence. "How about you guys?"

The two sighed in relief, before giving the exact same answer at the exact same time. "_Much better now that you're safe._"

"Jinx!" Undina's little joke got a laugh out of her, but Echo and her parents didn't seem to get it. "So… how's everything back home?"

Queen Angelica was quick to respond. "_We've had some… trying times recently. I'm sure you'll be interested in hearing all about them when you come home._"

"Yeah, about that…"

Meanwhile, as she watched things unfold from a nearby spot, out of sight from her king and queen, Echo braced herself for what was next. Even knowing what would happen next didn't make her dread it any less.

"I'm… not coming home yet."

The dolphin closed her eyes right as she heard King Puff's voice. "_Excuse me?_"

"I _am_ going back. Just… not yet." Undina's response was short, but to the point.

Next was Queen Angelica's reaction. "_What? But why?_"

"Mom, Dad… I won't lie to you or anything, so you better brace yourselves." She couldn't hear anything coming from Undina's phone after that. "Okay, here's the thing…"

And so, Echo just listened intently as the young princess told her parents the entire story: how her studies at Spagonia University went, how she decided to travel around the world, and how she was rescued from the pirates. There were even some details that the lieutenant hadn't been told about yet, like Undina's brief stays at Shamar and Adabat, or how she had personally been at Casino Park for the tournament that cost King Puff a good amount of money after an ill-conceived bet with Razor the Shark.

"…And that's the whole story." Once she finally looked at Undina again, she noticed the silly expression that was suddenly on her face. "By the way, I am _so_ jealous! You guys really got to meet _the_ Sonic the Hedgehog? And you _talked_ to him?"

Somehow, this actually got a light chuckle out of her.

"_Back to the point._" Queen Angelica, however, still sounded pretty serious. "_How do you even plan on seeing the world? You don't have any money, you don't have a crew for this ship of yours, and you don't even have anyone to protect you!_"

Undina raised an index finger at this. "Oh, but I do, Mom! I have just the right person to keep me safe through it all!"

"_Oh, really? Who would that be?_"

Echo was caught off-guard when she walked in her direction, and was even more surprised when the princess put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

"Lieutenant Echo, of course!" She held her phone horizontally so the king and queen could get a clear view of the two of them.

Echo could only offer a small wave and a nervous chuckle.

"_Undina, darling…_" While King Puff silently frowned, Queen Angelica gave her thoughts on the matter. "_I'm not sure this is the best idea._"

"Why not?" Undina was quick to ask. "You sent her to find me, and she did. She came to my rescue, and here I am, safe and sound, and with an armed ship to help me protect myself. All I need is a bodyguard to look out for me when I'm out seeing the world, and I can't think of anyone better in the entire planet to do that than her."

As she made her case, Echo turned to look at her, surprised and elated by the amount of praise she was getting.

"Seriously, you should've seen her when we got out of that tomb! The pirates didn't even know what hit them! I never would've made it out without her and the others!" Her eyes widened, and once again, her esca briefly lit up. "Oh, by the way, speaking of 'others', can you tell Captain Striker about this, please? I bet he wants to know where his best subordinate is going to be for a while!"

The king and queen turned to each other for a moment before looking at their daughter. "_You're absolutely sure about this?_"

"Trust me, I'm in good hands." Undina lightly shook Echo with her arm. "Besides, I already have a plan to get more supplies, and I'm sure I can gather up some good crewmates. It'll be a true-blue world adventure for the ages!"

Her mother made another comment. "_…Will you at least call us every now and then?_"

"Sure! I promise to check in regularly with you guys, just like I did before." Then she smiled at the two. "I'll even have Lieutenant Echo remind me in case I forget! How does that sound?"

King Puff finally spoke again. "_I don't really like this idea._"

"_Neither do I…_" Queen Angelica sighed. "_…but I suppose there's no stopping her._" Then she took a deep breath before continuing. "_Alright, dear. You can keep travelling the world._"

"Yay!" Undina jumped up and down with joy. "You guys are the best! Trust me, you won't regret this. You're going to be _so_ proud of me when I come back!"

"_I'm sure of it._" The queen then turned her attention to Echo. "_Lieutenant Echo, thank you for your service. We are counting on you to protect our greatest treasure._"

The dolphin saluted her. "On my honor as a member of the Meropis City Guard, I swear I will guard Princess Undina with my life."

"I feel safer already." Undina's reply came quickly once more, and she turned her attention to her phone one last time. "Hey, before I forget, Razor said that Coral was worried about me and that was the whole reason he was there, and I don't want her to be all scared anymore. I'm sure he'll let her know, but just in case he hasn't, can you also tell her that I'm okay?"

Her mother sighed again, this time with a smile. "_Of course, sweetheart._"

"Thanks, Mom." She smiled once more. "Well, better get going. Talk to you later! Love you lots!"

King Puff got one more comment in. "_We love you too, my darling princess. Until then._"

"Bye!" After ending the call, Undina put her phone away. "That went pretty well, don't you think, Lieutenant?"

Echo looked down at the floor, not sure how to take everything that had just happened.

"I… guess so." Once she finally found the words she was looking for, she raised her head back up. "…Thank you for trusting me, Princess. It's an honor to know that you have so much faith in me, and I will not let you down. I promise."

Undina said nothing in response. Instead, she just hugged her newly appointed bodyguard, chuckling softly and fondly as she did.

* * *

Thinking back to that moment, Echo realized what was happening.

…_She __**is**__ serious._

Without even saying it, Undina had made her point clear.

Despite appearances, she wasn't bluffing when she told her parents that she had a good bodyguard; she really did mean it when she said she trusted Echo to look out for her. She wasn't even scared that they had somehow separated once they arrived at Spagonia; she had _that_ much faith in the idea that her bodyguard's first thought would be to come find her.

"…Alright, Princess. I'll trust your judgment."

As Echo took a seat right next to her, Undina giggled before placing a hand on her back.

"Don't get me wrong. I still have a plan." She gestured towards the university. "I have a friend here at Spagonia University who always comes by, even when there aren't any classes. I just _know_ he can help us out."

Somehow, the calm, unconcerned way in which she said that brought some peace to the dolphin, who took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Understood." She brought her head down, clearly upset about everything that had transpired. "I apologize. I shouldn't have doubted you."

Undina just patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Aww, it's okay, Lieutenant. You're not the first." After taking her hand back, she brought something to Echo's attention. "Hey, want to use my umbrella? It rains on the inside! Trust me, it's super refreshing!"

After looking at it for a bit, she silently nodded and took the umbrella. She opened it up, and sure enough, it was suddenly like she was in the middle of a mild drizzle. She did indeed find it refreshing, especially after her long search around the city, but when she looked at the inside of the umbrella out of curiosity, she couldn't find anything that would cause such a thing to happen, and right before she could ask about it…

"By the way… I was just joking before." The princess gave her a very goofy smile. "All of my clothes are 100% waterproof. Isn't Honey just the best?"

Echo was at a loss for words. She could only laugh along with Undina, much to her own surprise, before coming to a personal conclusion.

…_This is going to be a very, __**very**__ long trip._

* * *

So, a little backstory on this one. Anyone who knows me personally (or has read my very first story) can tell you that I'm a big fan of the Archie Sonic comics, and I was one of the people who kept reading and collecting them all the way to the end of the reboot that came with the first crossover with the Mega Man comics. Even though the main series sadly didn't get to complete its Classic-era story arc and the Mega Drive comics were cancelled just short of their last issue, I was really happy that Sonic Universe at least managed to fully finish its last story, titled _The Case of the Pirate Princess_ and starring the Chaotix.

As someone who already really likes those three and deeply enjoyed their antics, I was surprised to find that barely halfway into the story, I just couldn't get enough of Lieutenant Echo and Princess Undina. When the story ended with the possibility of seeing these two traveling around the world in a submarine/ship stolen from a group of pirates, only to have the comic's cancellation immediately put a stop to that, I was honestly really disappointed… up until the point where I decided I'd just do it myself. Here's the result of that decision, and I really hope you've found it entertaining enough to stick with it, because I look forward to doing a lot with it.

This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing off.


End file.
